They call it the most magical place on earth. What better vacation spot for us to visit than Disney World that summer of 1985? My husband and I had only been married a few months, but all signs pointed to a long and happy future for our brand-new blended family. Life felt more settled already, and I was relieved to no longer be alone.
“Let’s do Space Mountain tomorrow,” my older daughter said as she got into the sleeping couch on the opposite side of the room. Her sister was already tucked into the cot. “And Cinderella’s castle!” she added.
I reached over to turn out the light. Our days had been busy and I hoped I’d get a good night’s rest. Then I remembered my rings. It was the strangest thing. The past two nights I’d fallen asleep easily enough, but wound up wide awake a few hours later, thanks to a nightmare I couldn’t even remember.
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“Everything okay?” asked my husband.
“Just taking off my wedding rings.” I placed them on the night table. Then I turned out the light.
Usually I wore my rings to bed, but these past couple of nights when I woke up, it felt like my left hand was tingling. The sensation stopped when I took my rings off, but I worried I’d lose them fumbling around in the dark while I was half asleep. Tonight I made sure they were on the bedside table. Our vacation had been perfect so far. I certainly didn’t want to spoil it by losing my wedding rings!
I lay down and almost immediately I heard someone moving around the room. “Who’s up?” I asked in the darkness.
“Not us,” the girls said.
“Strange,” my husband muttered.
The girls whispered for a few minutes, until I could tell they’d drifted off to sleep. I lay in bed, completely relaxed, tired out from our long day of lines and rides and sun. But for some reason I didn’t close my eyes. My gaze was fixed straight ahead. I could just make out the outline of the cot and sofa bed near the far wall. My husband snored lightly beside me. There were no other sounds. I was the only one left awake and that was kind of nice.
As I stared, a shape took form at the foot of the bed. I blinked once, twice, three times. Heavenly white robes clothed a man with short, white hair and a close-cropped beard. His aura was one of complete peacefulness. What was I doing in his presence? I wondered. There was no thought that he might be an intruder. None. I wasn’t in the least bit frightened. In fact, the vision made me feel safer than I’d ever felt in my life. I almost pinched myself. My guardian angel, I thought. I’d always known that I had one, but I never expected to see him with my own eyes!
I fell asleep under the angel’s peaceful gaze. Without a single nightmare, I woke refreshed and propped my head on my pillow, my eyes on the now empty spot at the foot of the bed. I knew the vision I’d seen wasn’t a dream. The angel was as real as Cinderella’s castle, and my wedding rings on the nightstand. But why now? Why had my angel appeared to me just when life seemed to be settling down again? My guardian angel was with me here in Disney World, and he wanted me to know it. I didn’t see him again but felt his presence for the rest of our vacation.
I thought about that heavenly vision often over the next few years. If I was stuck in traffic or one of the girls was sick, I’d remember my guardian angel was right there, watching over us. If my husband and I argued, and I felt alone or misunderstood, I knew my angel was there beside me.
As time passed, my husband and I argued more and more. We separated, and after trying for two years we couldn’t make things work. Our marriage ended in divorce. Once again life was unsettled, so different from those days when we vacationed at Disney World. Except for one thing, which remained the same: I wasn’t alone. An angel was near, watching over, whether I could see him or not. He’d shown himself to me in a happier time, long before I needed him most.
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